Israeli cleantech startup BlueGreen Water Technologies has successfully cleaned-up harmful algal blooms detected in Chippewa Lake, US.
Harmful algae are photosynthetic microorganisms that can be found in almost all bodies of water. Their toxins have been known to cause poisoning in animals and humans and severely disrupt the ecosystem.
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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already declared harmful algae bloom as “a major environmental problem in all 50 states. They can have a severe impact on human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy.”
EPA also warns that “algal blooms can be toxic. Keep people and pets away from water that is green, scummy or smells bad.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) also publishes clear warning instructions in its water-related disease chapter: “People are mainly exposed to cyanobacterial toxins by drinking or bathing in contaminated water. Surface scums, where they occur, represent a specific hazard to human health because of their particularly high toxin contact.”
WHO also recommended: “Contact, especially by children, should be avoided. Humans are affected with a range of symptoms including skin irritation, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain, blisters of the mouth and liver damage. Swimmers in water containing cyanobacterial toxins may suffer allergic reactions, such as asthma, eye irritation, rashes, and blisters around the mouth and nose. Animals, birds, and fish can also be poisoned by high levels of toxin-producing cyanobacteria.”
BlueGreen developing solutions to water-related problems. Its portfolio currently consists of two commercially-available products, which are designed to prevent the occurrence of cyanobacterial toxic blooms, commonly known as “blue-green algae.”
Collapse of the toxic cyanobacteria species
The treatment in the contaminated Chippewa Lake was short and simple and resulted in the collapse of the toxic cyanobacteria species and in the restoration of its ecological balance.
Tests were conducted in the lake before, during, and after the treatment in order to ensure that Chippewa Lake’s algal problem is fully addressed.
“Chippewa Lake is the largest natural inland lake in Ohio,” said Nathan D. Eppink, director of Medina County Park. “For the past four years, harmful algal blooms have negatively impacted the ability of visitors to enjoy the water. We’re optimistic that with the help of BlueGreen Water Technologies and our community partners in the Save the Lake Coalition, we can make Chippewa Lake a safe, healthy natural resource.”
BlueGreen’s slow-release algicides designed to cost-effectively treatment against harmful algal blooms in bodies of water of all sizes. This is the first full-scale deployment of the company’s approved product in the United States. The product is also in commercial use in Israel, China, and South Africa.
